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Emma closed her eyes and sighed, once again she was spending her birthday alone. This time it was her 28th birthday. She had just spent the night trying to catch a crook who had tried to escape jail for the second time that month. The worst part about this one was not even the way he made her run out into the street, but the fact he actually had the audacity call her a friendless orphan who had no idea what a family was.
She made her way from the front door to the small counter while taking off her heels and throwing a brown paper bag on top of it. A small brown cupcake decorated with white frosting and multicolored sprinkles was taken out of the bag and placed on a small plate, a blue star-shaped candle carefully put on top of the cupcake. She lit up the candle with a small lighter she had found in her coat’s pocket.
She was finally about to blow out her birthday candles.
Emma - Another banner year...
As she heard a knock on her front door. She turned, surprised at first, as she was not expecting guests at this time of the day and certainly not at her place. She walked the few steps to the door, checking through the peephole for the possible culprit of her night’s interruption but no such luck. She slowly opened the door and checked both sides of the hallway but could not find a single soul to blame on the rude interruption. Until, finally, she looked down at the floor to find a funny-looking boy, around 4’5 feet with dark brown hair with a sweet smile. He was dressed in a black peacock coat with a grey and red scarf and a black backpack on his back.
Emma opened her mouth to speak, too stunned to say something coherent.
Emma – Uh… Can I help you?
Henry – Are you Emma Swan?
Emma - Yeah, who are you?
Henry - My name's Henry. I'm your son.
Emma’s face suddenly became blank at the statement. Before saying anything else, Henry slipped under Emma's arm and walked into her apartment as he was supposed to be there at that exact moment at that time. He stood between her middle-sized couch and small kitchen counter as if expecting some kind of cosmical answer to whatever was going on.
Emma - Whoa, hey, kid! Kid! I don't have a son! Where are your parents?
Henry - Ten years ago, did you give up a baby for adoption? That was me.
Emma - Give me a minute.
Ten years ago. Emma remembered as if it was yesterday. As if by instinct Emma rushed immediately into the bathroom, her insides going in knots, to avoid any more questions about the adoption process or about the father in question. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Henry was oblivious to Emma’s emotional turmoil.
Henry - Hey, do you have any juice? Never mind, found some.
As she heard the young boy making himself at home, Emma quickly exited the bathroom and rushed to the kitchen. She stopped as she heard what Henry said next.
Henry - You know, we should probably get going.
His small voice was so full of wonder and excitement. It truly amazed Emma how unafraid he acted in her presence; it’s like he felt safe around her. Emma quickly cleared the thought from her mind, it was not her kid. She had to get rid of him. For a brief moment she indulged him in his quest.
Emma - Going where?
Henry - I want you to come home with me.
Nevermind. Remember to never listen to kids’ suggestions on anything. It’s time to start getting logical here Emma.
Emma - Okay, kid, I'm calling the cops.
As Emma crossed the room, Henry turned around, an elaborated plan on his mind.
Henry - And I'll tell them you kidnapped me.
Emma - And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother.
She put the phone down. Henry smirked. The kid was smart, she would give him that. He was definitely his father’s son.
Henry - Yep.
Emma - You're not gonna do that.
Henry - Try me.
She had got him there. He was definitely lying. Emma sucked at many things in her life like cooking or dancing but there was one thing she was damn good at.
Emma - You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill. Let's call it a "superpower." I can tell when anyone is lying, and you, kid,
are.
Henry’s face and confidence were immediately taken over by worry and fear. For once he was actually scared of the consequences of his actions since he had arrived at her place. A begging look on his face took Emma by surprise.
Henry - Wait. Please don't call the cops. Please come home with me.
Emma - Where's home?
Henry - Storybrooke, Maine.
Emma stopped for a second. Storybrooke was a curious name for a small town and one she had never heard of in her entire life.
Emma - Storybrooke? Seriously?
Henry nodded. His expression unchanged.
Henry - Mm-hmm.
Emma sighed. The kid had to get home either way, might as well make sure he actually got there safe, she thought. Emma grabbed her red leather jacket and her car keys.
Emma - Alrighty, then. Let's get you back to Storybrooke.
---
It was a rainy night. Emma had just recently entered Storybrooke’s town limits. No people were in sight, no animals’ sounds were heard, it seemed like a peaceful and quiet place to live in at first sight. Emma kept thinking back to the conversation she had with Henry right before they arrived in town. Did he actually believe in fairytales at that age? And did he actually believe they were happening in real life? Maybe putting him up for adoption created more problems in him than she had imagined.
Emma parked her bug on the side of the road. She looked at passenger’s seat where Henry was seated and tried to figure out the best approach to actually get the truth out of him.
Emma - Okay, kid, how about an address?
Henry - Forty-four, not-telling-you street.
Figures the kid would not want to cooperate with her right when she was so close to her goal.
Emma – Look, it's been a long night, and it's almost…
Emma looked at the clock tower. Her eyes could only be deceiving her.
Emma —Eight-fifteen?
Henry - That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here.
Emma - Excuse me?
Henry - The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here.
Emma: Hang on. The Evil Queen sent a bunch of fairy-tale characters here.
Henry - Yeah. And now they're trapped.
Emma - Frozen in time, stuck in Storybrooke, Maine. That's what you're going with?
Henry - It's true!
Emma - Then why doesn't everybody just leave?
Henry - They can't. If they try, bad things happen.
As she was about to reply, two tall men chatting cheerfully amongst themselves stopped in their tracks when they spotted Henry sitting in the parked yellow bug. The man on the
right looked a bit older, in his mid-thirties and had curly hair, bright blue eyes, he was dressed in a blue big trench coat and some black jeans, a yellow beanie hat on. The other man was close in age, in his thirties. He was dressed in dark jeans as well but instead of a trench coat he wore a green vest over a red sweater. His brown wavy hair was carefully combed to both sides, his soft brown eyes gave the impression of someone who had been through a rough past. Emma immediately turned her eyes to avoid further contact.
A familiar smile appeared on the two men’s and Henry’s faces.
Robin – Why, is this young master Henry I am seeing walking around town so late at night?
Liam – And inside a stranger’s car nonetheless, it seems the young lad has gotten quite off course.
Henry – Hey Robin! Hey Liam! Don’t worry! This is my mom, Emma! She’s bringing me home.
Emma – Biological mom, kid. And who are these two strange men you are friends with?
Henry – This is Robin, our forest guard, he usually takes our class for field trips around the wood’s areas. And this is Liam, he is our harbormaster. He has taken me sailing around
the Storybrooke area many times when mom is too busy.
Emma saw Henry’s sudden pained face and thought about her own experiences as a foster kid, spending most of her free times alone, hoping for one of her parents to at least ask her where she had been that day.
Emma - I see. And isn’t that mom worried that you aren’t showing up at home this late?
Henry – She doesn’t love me really. She just pretends she does. She’s evil.
Emma – Evil is a bit extreme kid.
She turned to Liam and Robin to try to pry some information out of them.
Emma – Do any of you know where he lives?
Robin – Yes.
Liam – He lives right up on Mifflin Street; the mayor’s house is the biggest one on the block. There is no missing it.
Emma – You are the mayor’s kid?
Henry – Sorta of.
Emma thanked both Liam and Robin who laughed at the curious situation going on.
Emma - Well, I really should be getting him home.
Liam – For sure lass, it was a pleasure to meet you and to see you again Henry. Have a good evening.
Robin – Good night to you both.
Emma got in the bug as she sighed. The mayor’s kid. This was going to be a gigantic nightmare to solve. As she was about to start the car, she looked at Henry with a quirky smile on her face.
Emma - All right. I'll play. Who are they supposed to be?
Henry – Huh?
Emma – In this fantasy of yours…who are they supposed to be?
Henry – It is not a fantasy and Robin is Robin Hood.
Emma – Oh right, the whole forest thing. And Liam?
Henry smiled as he opened the book on a page with two young men steering a ship filled with pirates. Both of the men were smiling at each other, one was holding a spyglass in his hand and the other was holding what seemed to be a sextant. Henry crossed his hand through the page.
Henry – He is the brother of one of the most important captains the world has ever seen.